A man in Handong: living off Zhong Xiaoai

"Governor Qi is someone who can decide our fate. Just because he had a good impression of you last time doesn't mean it will be the same this time. So we have to be extremely careful every time we meet! Chen Hai isn't Governor Qi's family or relative, so how could he not be nervous? Unless, of course, Chen Hai is Governor Qi's brother-in-law, then he definitely won't be nervous, haha, isn't that right, Chen Hai?"

Chen Hai felt awkward after hearing Wang Dalu's words. What could he say? Nothing he said would be right.

How do you explain blushing when you say you're Qi Tongwei's brother-in-law? And saying you're attracted to Ouyang Jing?

If he doesn't admit that he is Qi Tongwei's brother-in-law, wouldn't Wang Dalu and the others think he was lying when they find out later?

Fortunately, Chen Hai's awkward moment didn't last long; they had already arrived at Qi Tongwei's office door.

Chen Hai breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, finally free from the predicament.

Chen Hai pointed to the office door in front of him and said.

"Stop talking nonsense! We're already at Governor Qi's office door!"

Upon hearing Chen Hai's words, Wang Dalu tensed up even more. He looked up and saw the words "Governor's Office" written in large characters on the office door; he could almost hear his own heart pounding...

Ouyang Jing wasn't particularly nervous at first, but she started to get nervous when she actually arrived at Qi Tongwei's office door.

After all, the bank manager in his area was only a section chief; he had never seen such a grand scene before.

At this moment, Chen Hai turned around and looked at Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu behind him, and gave them some instructions.

“I didn’t know this when I came last time. The governor’s wife was actually in the governor’s office. Later, I asked my sister and found out that the governor’s wife is actually the governor’s secretary, and she’s a bureau-level cadre. When you two go in later, you must respectfully address her as ‘Madam,’ understand?”

When Ouyang Jing heard Chen Hai's words, she almost cried out.

"Governor Qi's secretary is actually his own wife, and a secretary at the bureau-level?! That's even higher than the county party secretary of Jinshan County!"

Although Wang Dalu was also surprised, he still spoke to Ouyang Jing.

“Ouyang, I just told you you're naive and haven't believed me. You call yourself the county party secretary of Jinshan County? He's Governor Qi's secretary and wife, that's on the same level as the municipal party secretary of Lüzhou City! Now you understand?”

Hearing their conversation, Chen Hai turned around 1.7 times.

"What's so special about that! I heard from my sister that Governor Qi's wife, Zhong Xiaoai, is actually Old Zhong's daughter! You guys read the newspapers, right? Old Zhong, who often appears on the front page of the Xia Guo Daily, have you seen him? That's a huge background!"

Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu both gaped open for a moment.

Wang Dalu took a deep breath to make sure he wouldn't faint from fright, and then said.

"If Governor Qi's father-in-law is Elder Zhong, then Governor Qi's background in Xia Country must be incredibly powerful! No wonder Governor Qi could get Zhao Lichun, the Party Secretary of Handong Province, to so easily hand over his power to appoint and dismiss officials! It turns out Governor Qi has such a powerful background, it's truly astonishing!"

Chapter 551 Chen Hai calls her "sister"?!

Ouyang Jing, who was standing next to Wang Dalu, turned pale.

"Mainland China, Chen Hai, if this were ancient times, wouldn't we be considered to have met the prince consort and princess? My god, their status and position are truly terrifying and awe-inspiring!"

Wang Dalu looked at Ouyang Jing, and his own expression wasn't much better.

"Ouyang, weren't you quite fearless just now? Why are you calling him 'princess' and 'prince consort' now? Well, I thought I was just meeting the governor of Handong Province today, and that already made me incredibly nervous. Now, Governor Qi has become Elder Zhong's son-in-law—that's even more intimidating! And Governor Qi's wife is a bureau-level official and Elder Zhong's daughter—my nervousness has doubled!"

Chen Hai turned around, looked at Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu, and pursed his lips helplessly.

"Alright! You two, stop your nonsense. I'm going to knock. Otherwise, if people see us standing here and don't come in, they might think we're here to assassinate Governor Qi. If they arrest us on the 26th and take us to the security department, that would be a huge injustice!"

Chen Hai wasn't just saying that casually; it was right here last time that someone pulled him so hard that his bare shoulder was exposed.

At this moment, in the governor's office of the provincial government building in Handong Province.

Qi Tongwei and Zhong Xiaoai were straightening their clothes; it was obvious they had just gotten off the bus.

Qi Tongwei looked at Zhong Xiaoai beside him.

"Honey, is there anything special planned for today? Are there any meetings or other events I need to attend this afternoon? I want to confirm so I can plan my work for the rest of the day."

As Zhong Xiaoai adjusted her skirt and put on her stockings, she spoke.

"There aren't that many meetings. Governor Qi is very lucky today. You're as free as a bird, and you can finally catch your breath!"

Qi Tongwei smiled after hearing Zhong Xiaoai's words.

"Really? I actually have this much free time? Could it be that you, little one, deliberately forgot some important arrangements and are trying to give me a short break?"

Upon hearing Qi Tongwei's words, Zhong Xiaoai immediately pouted.

"Pshaw! How could I possibly forget! Don't even think about it, my memory is notoriously bad."

Just as Zhong Xiaoai finished speaking, there was a knock on the door of Qi Tongwei's outer room, which was also Zhong Xiaoai's office.

Qi Tongwei looked at Zhong Xiaoai with a helpless expression.

"Honey, who was it that just told me you have a famously good memory? What's with this sudden knock on the door? Surely your famously good memory isn't failing you too?"

Qi Tongwei is now the governor of Handong Province. Anyone who wants to see Qi Tongwei usually has to make an appointment in advance.

Even if Zhong Xiaoai is completely unresponsive, you still have to make an appointment. If Zhong Xiaoai doesn't reply, you can only accept your bad luck and assume that you couldn't make the appointment and that your boss was too busy.

If there's an emergency, they won't just knock on the door; they'll call first and get permission before coming to see Qi Tongwei.

In the current situation, if there is no appointment made in a day, it is impossible for someone to suddenly knock on the door.

Zhong Xiaoai glanced smugly at the direction of her office door, then looked smugly at Qi Tongwei.

"Is there even a question? It's definitely not a problem with my memory; someone is just being disrespectful and barging in! It's outrageous! Watch how I deal with them!"

As Zhong Xiaoai was about to leave, Qi Tongwei quickly grabbed her arm.

"Come on, honey. Everyone in the Handong Provincial Government building knows the rules. If they were outsiders, they wouldn't be able to just barge in. Without an appointment, they wouldn't even be able to get through the main gate of the Handong Provincial Government. Honey, forget about dealing with them. Let's hurry up and get our clothes ready to receive our guests!"

Hearing Qi Tongwei's words, Zhong Xiaoai was still very unhappy. After all, she had just said that she had a good memory, and now someone was suddenly knocking on the door, which made her quite unhappy.

Qi Tongwei looked at Zhong Xiaoai, whose face was full of unhappiness.

"Madam, may I be so bold as to confirm with you again? I really don't have any meetings scheduled for this afternoon, do I? I'd like to make good use of this rare free time."

After hearing Qi Tongwei's words, Zhong Xiaoai glared at him.

"What meeting? I said there isn't one! If there really is a meeting, then those people are just unlucky. Why not just cancel it? You should rest well today and not let those unimportant things bother you."

Qi Tongwei felt quite touched when he heard this; Zhong Xiaoai really cared about him.

"Alright! Whatever Comrade Xiao Ai says goes. As long as you give the word, even if Secretary Zhao Lichun of the Provincial Party Committee has a meeting this afternoon, it's his own fault, and I won't go without batting an eye. But for now, let's open the door and welcome our guests first, so as not to keep them waiting too long."

Zhong Xiaoai glared at Qi Tongwei, her little face pouting.

"That's more like it! I'll go open the door for you and see which important guest has graced us with their presence, that our Governor Qi is paying such attention to them."

And so, Zhong Xiaoai finally fulfilled her duty as the governor's secretary for the 710th time and went to open the door.

Qi Tongwei watched Zhong Xiaoai's retreating figure as she went to open the door, and felt a sense of relief that she hadn't made him open the door this time.

Outside Qi Tongwei's office, Chen Hai was knocking on the door, pausing briefly after every two knocks.

Wang Dalu, standing behind Chen Hai, seemed somewhat confused.

"Chen Hai, what's going on? Why hasn't anyone opened the door? Could it be that Governor Qi isn't here? Did we make a wasted trip?"

Before Chen Hai could say anything after hearing Wang Dalu's words, there was a knock on Qi Tongwei's door.

Outside the door, apart from Chen Hai, Wang Dalu and Ouyang Jing were both deathly pale.

Shortly afterward, the door was opened, and Zhong Xiaoai opened it with an impatient look on her face.

Seeing this, Chen Hai quickly smiled and said.

"Sister! It's been so long! I've missed you so much! How are you? I've been thinking about you a lot."

Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu were on edge when they suddenly saw Zhong Xiaoai.

When the two men saw Zhong Xiaoai, they couldn't help but widen their eyes. They had to admit that Zhong Xiaoai was really beautiful!

With such a background and such good looks, it's truly amazing!

However, the two quickly realized what Chen Hai had just called the governor's wife. "Sister?" they thought.

Chapter 552 I was hasty just now

Wang Dalu and Ouyang Jing exchanged a surprised glance.

Ouyang Jing didn't understand. Was Chen Hai very familiar with Governor Qi? Otherwise, why would he call the governor's wife "sister"?

Wang Dalu thought that no wonder Chen Hai was able to get the position of deputy county head in Jinshan County by getting close to Governor Qi. It turned out that he was good at speaking!

Upon seeing Chen Hai, Zhong Xiaoai's expression softened considerably, her previous disdain vanished, and she even put on a smile.

"Chen Hai, long time no see! You still look as energetic as ever! How's your grandfather's situation going? Is everything going smoothly?"

Chen Hai nodded after hearing Zhong Xiaoai's words.

"Sister, my father's funeral arrangements have all been completed, and everything is settled. This matter is now over. Thank you for your concern."

Zhong Xiaoai smiled and gestured for everyone to follow her into the house, speaking as she went.

“Chen Hai, in principle, Tongwei and I should have gone to your father’s funeral, after all, your sister and I are like sisters. But your father did make some mistakes before he died. The situation was special at the time, and there was really no other way. I think you can understand. However, your brother-in-law still arranged for all your sisters in our family to go. You should have seen them all, right? They all miss you very much.”

Upon hearing Zhong Xiaoai's words, Wang Dalu and Ouyang Jing exchanged surprised glances once again.

What does that mean?! The governor's wife said she and Chen Hai's sister are like sisters?!

Could it be that Chen Yang's sister is Zhong Xiaoai's best friend, which is why Chen Hai was suddenly sent there? Do they have such a deep relationship?

What does my brother-in-law mean? And what about our sisters?

Chen Hai was deeply moved after hearing Zhong Xiaoai's words.

"Sister, thank you so much! I saw that big star Jing Tian at the funeral, but there were so many people talking that I didn't have a chance to ask. Is this the new sister my brother-in-law found for me?"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu were completely dumbfounded. What did that mean?!

Zhong Xiaoai smiled and pointed to the inner room.

"That's right. Your brother-in-law specifically asked everyone in the family to go, no matter what. Even though your sister Jingtian has difficulty walking, she still insisted on attending your grandfather's farewell ceremony. Alright, come on in, your brother-in-law is waiting inside, he also wants to see you very much."

After speaking, Zhong Xiaoai returned to her desk and sat down, leaving Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu shocked once again.

On Zhong Xiaoai's table were all kinds of expensive cosmetics, just like in a department store.

Wang Dalu and Ouyang Jing had spent half a day preparing how to greet Zhong Xiaoai, but in the end they didn't get a chance to speak to her at all.

Chen Hai first smiled and said to Zhong Xiaoai.

"Sister, I'll go find my brother-in-law now and report to him on my recent work situation. When you have time, I'll come to see you in person to report on my thoughts and to hear your guidance and suggestions."

Zhong Xiaoai smiled, as if she really liked Chen Hai.

"Go ahead, work is important. If you need any help, just let me know."